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In the last week, two people I care about have been royally screwed over by corporate America. The details aren't mine to share, but suffice it to say that both individuals were exposed to unethical behavior that clearly demonstrated the companies in question don't give a good goddamn about their employees, and in fact consider them a burden whose salaries do nothing but negatively impact the bottom line.

These latest incidents have done nothing to change my opinion that Corporate America is, in fact, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

But for me, the key question is, why is corporate America such a shithole? It's not because each and every middle or upper manager is an unethical douchebag whose moral compass points directly to the fourth circle of Hell,* although there are plenty of those.

In addition to the douchebags, I've worked with some fine people over the years. Some of them were consistent in their ethical behavior, i.e., the rules that governed their behavior were consistent regardless of their situation. But others were wildly inconsistent - they'd crap all over their employees, but they would never dream of treating other human beings as commodities to be run over at their earliest convenience in their personal lives. What I want to know is, how do people who fall into the second category live with themselves?

No, really - I want to know. I've worked hard over the years to integrate my personality in a way that makes me a consistent human being regardless of the conditions where I find myself. In some ways that's good - if you perceive me to be a hard-working, ethical employee, it's a safe bet you'd consider me a hard-working, ethical human, as well. Conversely, if you think I'm a pushy bitch at work...well, you get the idea.

How do people rationalize assbag behavior in their professional lives and still manage to see themselves as the heroes of their own stories? Clearly, they're bifurcating their professional lives from their personal ones in their own minds, in order to ensure they can live with themselves. But I don't understand how they can do so.

I just don't get it.

____________*Although I have my doubts about this in regard to most "executives." Just sayin'.

I consider myself very lucky to work for two business owners who I was shocked to find *have integrity.* I hadn't realized I had stopped looking for it or expecting to see it until I found it.It is sadly so rare!

I have a lot of answers for that after 11 years on the business side of corporate America. Not all coherent mind you.

Let's start with one - tribes. The people at work are not in theirs, so screw them.

I will say you're too harsh on Corporate America. I'd look back to Jim's post on Captain Honors. Is the Navy a hive of scum and villainy just because guys like him get to the top? Well, in some ways yes, but mostly no. And is the desertion of him by his former friends in what Jim aptly called "the politics of the paygrade" evidence of sociopathy? Not really.

But one of the huge problems with large orgs of any type is the ease with which sociopaths climb ladders.

I don't have a good answer for how to combat that, but I think about it a good deal.

John, I may be too harsh on corporate America, but this week, I'm justified.

And I will concede that my own situation is pretty damn good. I've been lucky with my civilian bosses - the good ones have far outnumbered the bad.

And yet, there's a reason I'm at a self-imposed glass ceiling - the behavior that is demonstrably required to get ahead is simply not something I'm willing to engage in. So I'll continue to be an individual contributor until I retire. I'm okay with that.

About Me

I am a Hot Chick living in Castle Rock, CO with my fabulous family. We have a rescue dog named "Jackson," and she's a Basenji/Shepherd mix. She's something of a head case, but we love her. I'm a U.S. Navy vet, and I currently work as an Enterprise Solutions Architect, specializing in VoIP and multimedia contact center design. I'm a Trustee for my local library, because LIBRARIES. I care about science, the U.S. Constitution and the military. I'm a tax and spend liberal in a largely red county, but I try not to be stabby about it. I like to color, I aspire to run faster than I do, and I donate knitted cold weather gear to various charities. Stupidity, cupidity and wanton assholery piss me off, and I'm more than a little soft when it comes to dogs and those who serve others. I blog about whatever I feel like. I use foul language, so if that sort of thing offends you, feel free to fuck off now - if I'm unwilling to clean up my language for my fabulous Great Auntie Margie, I'm unlikely to do so for you. Newcomers are welcome here, especially those who disagree with me, but trolling and spamming will be met with the Shovel of Doom™.